Councils still blame Covid for service delays… 18 months after restrictions lifted

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Councils continue to blame the pandemic for service delays despite the end of lockdown restrictions more than 18 months ago.

Precautionary excuses provided by local authorities for possible delays in Freedom of Information (FOI) responses included the current coronavirus outbreak and the redeployment of staff to support our response to the coronavirus emergency.

A council took three months to provide information after the initial response said it was in arrears held back by Covid.

Meanwhile, 10 councils responded to inquiries sent by a Telegraph reporter last week, saying there could be delays caused by the interruption of normal services due to the pandemic. Local authorities said references to Covid were included in error.

Public bodies subject to freedom of information laws must respond promptly and no later than 20 business days.

The Information Commissioners Office said that while there have been delays during the pandemic, as time has passed and organizations are expected to operate as usual, they should correspond with individuals on schedule. by the legislation we oversee.

Asked about the delays, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former minister for government efficiency, referenced a proverb from the King James Bible: The message to councils still using Covid as an excuse for idleness should be Go home the ant, you lazy; consider his ways and be wise.

Three months of waiting for an answer

It came after a Telegraph investigation last year found councils were allowing more than half of their office staff to work from home, with some residents complaining it was impacting services.

Sheffield City Council was asked for information relating to social services on August 26, 2022. It responded at the time saying the global Covid-19 pandemic had led to a reduction in resources across the council , which means that we are currently dealing with a backlog of applications. .

The response was sent on November 29, 2022 more than three months later. Officials said the hard truth is that the pandemic continues to have a significant impact.

Responses to freedom of information requests received last week include Exeter City Council, which said: please note there will be delays.

He added: Due to the current coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, staff working on the board may be absent or deployed to other areas of work at short notice.

An email from Brighton and Hove City Council said there could be delays as staff could be away or deployed to other areas of work at short notice due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ipswich Borough Council said: Please note that response may be delayed due to disruption caused by coronavirus.

The hard truth about the impact of Covid

Councilor Colin Ross, chair of Sheffield City Council’s Audit and Standards Committee, said: Unfortunately, it is a harsh truth that the pandemic continues to have a significant impact on the FOI backlog.

But, he said, the councils’ compliance rate was over 94% for December 2022, higher than pre-pandemic figures.

He added: The audit committee has requested that measures be put in place immediately to ensure that deadlines are met.

Brighton and Hove City Council said the response was sent in error and Covid was not the reason for the delays.

Ipswich officials said this was an administrative error and we have now updated our automated systems for FOI responses.

A spokesman for Exeter City Council said: Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This was an old post which has now been edited.

We at Exeter City Council take great pride in dealing with FOI and coronavirus has never played a role in providing a fast and efficient service. In fact, all of our statistics are provided on our website.

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